Priory study finds North West to be most diagnosed region of the UK

OVER 300,000 North West inhabitants with a diagnosed mental health condition may suffer in silence, Priory Group research reveals.

The study revealed that the North West is the region with the highest percentage of diagnosed mental health conditions in the UK overall.

This high diagnosis rate illustrates the prevalence of employees with mental health conditions throughout today's workforce, but surprisingly there is some good news for North West businesses.

Employees in this region are actually more likely to be honest and open with their employer about their mental health condition, second only to the West Midlands. The high level of diagnosis combined with a low level of workplace stigma illustrates that mental health conditions may be becoming more accepted in North West workplaces.

The region's population may be the second most likely to disclose their mental health condition, but there is still a long way to go. The remaining 63% of the North West workforce would still feel forced into silence by the weight of mental health stigma in their work environment.

The study turns the North-South divide on its head, as London and the South East were the two regions most likely to keep their condition under wraps at work, whereas Yorkshire, the West Midlands and the North West were most likely to be open and transparent with their employer.

On a national level the study found that:-

► 79% of those polled without a mental health condition would worry about telling their employer if they did have one, exposing a national struggle with stigma.

► A shockingly small 22% of part time workers felt that they could disclose a mental health condition to an employer.

► 91% of those awaiting a mental health diagnosis felt the stigma around mental health would lead/has led them to consider self-employment.

Dr Richard Bowskill, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital Brighton and Hove:- "There's a huge amount of stigma out there, especially in the workplace. I've had numerous cases where people have been sacked because of their depression; they've been discriminated against because of a mental illness.  I think the big thing is the impact of stigma. People generally say that the stigma of having a diagnosed mental illness can be as bad as the symptoms that they actually experience. They compare it with other illnesses, for example the stigma of cancer or heart problems; the stigma of mental illness is still very much higher."

Paul Booth, a successful businessman and bipolar sufferer who now campaigns for an overhaul in workplace mental health:- "A lot of people who didn't have a diagnosed condition would come to me and say, 'you're so brave. I've got a condition but I don't tell anybody because I know it would kill my career'. That was mentioned to me numerous times. In South Africa, as long as it was out in the open, it was like there was no elephant in the room, nothing waiting to come out. It would be very difficult to be that open about my condition in the UK. I think I would struggle to get a job, to be honest. It's about time we got the dialogue out and people start saying, these people are assets, they're not liabilities to us. They are just us."

Poppy Jaman, CEO of Mental Health First Aid England:- "Sadly, The Priory's research findings are indicative of the stigma that continues to shroud mental health and the impact it has on those who are experiencing a mental health issue. We already know that one in six British workers will experience a mental health problem at some point in their career, but the fear of discrimination often prevents them from accessing help and support early on and these latest figures further demonstrate the very real fear that employees have around disclosing mental health issues to their employers."